"Theirs probably start at a little over $100 a night for military discounts. We intend to shatter that barrier and go to $50 a night and maybe even lower," he said, adding they are even looking into a free room rate for military on active duty. "This is kind of a reward for our military people who are keeping us free, and we want to give them a real benefit."

The military's donation to the project will be the Red Maple land only. The Wadman team will have to cover costs of construction — or any extra costs to obtain a different site. The military is banned by law from using any taxpayer money for such recreational developments.

Open-space impacts

The Air Force team and local officials disagree what impact a hotel at Red Maple would have.

The city illustrated its concerns by drawing a picture of the steep Red Maple hillside with a red-block, large hotel that sticks out like a sore thumb blocking views. "We tinted it red for a reason. It shows the mass on the hillside that would be needed for a 600-room project," Bakaly said.

But the Air Force team has a conceptual drawing showing attractive cabin-style condos fitting well on the hill below its horizon, screened from view from the highway. Also, underground parking helps the project fit. But Coveio said that drawing was made showing what a 155-unit project could look like, not the larger one development partners are now discussing.

The sheer number of rooms now proposed at Red Maple concerns Park City council member Erickson, who doesn't want lodging competition to hit unhealthy levels. Hotels must have at least 60 percent occupancy year-round to stay afloat, she said, something hotels in winter communities have some trouble with in the summer.

"Nothing in town is currently the size of what they would have to build to get a return on their investment" at Red Maple, she said. "We are becoming more popular, and the hotel and condominiums and a lot of the industry are doing great. But if you do that many rooms in competition, I think a lot of them are going to seriously suffer financially."

Then there's the competition with the other resort towns around the world that Park City is competing with for tourism dollars.

"If it becomes too cluttered and commercialized, we lose out in the race to Breckenridge (Colorado) or anyone else we're competing with on a recreational basis," she said. "The visual impact for tourists and the open space for constituents are the biggest concerns."

Amid differing visions of the project's impact, the city and county tried to block or move the developers' Red Maple plans.